The First Ship-Of-The-Line HMS Victory
The massive 227.5 ft. long 100 gun First Ship-of-the-Line HMS Victory was one of the larger most ships of the time. The only other ship that can compete is the American naval vessel USS Constitution. With many battles under its belt, it’s surprising she has lasted 251 years.
As with any other ship of the time she was built entirely of wood besides the other material to keep her running such as screws, bolts, ropes, and canvas. But the wood had to come from somewhere and that somewhere was 100 acres of naturally grown British forest oak. Over 5000 hand selected mature trees. There were three different variants that were sought after. These three allowed for the easy manufacturing of much needed pieces for the ship. This wood would sometimes be stored for up to 14 years before use. This …show more content…
As with any ship, she needed a crew. Over 500 men were needed to fully operate everything she had. Some of the mock up of the ship included 70 skilled Petty Officers, 212 experienced seamen, 193 regular seamen, and 81 landmen. Royal Marines serving as the fighting force were also onboard and totaled 11 Officers and 135 Privates. Age range for crew mates could go from 12 to 67, with 40% of those men being under the age of 24.
Crew was easy to find certain time because the ship was government funded. Pay was the same as a merchant yet the work was a lot easier. Not to mention food, water and of course shelter was a guarantee. Sadly the work was also dangerous. Cannon balls and drowning were the well known ways of dying. Ship accidents, wrecks and disease accounted for 90% of the 92,000 fatalities during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
In order to make sure the ship was a well oiled machine, the captain and nine other officers were in charge of the 500+ men onboard. Along with being responsible for the men's duties, they were also in charge is correcting wrong
As with any other ship of the time she was built entirely of wood besides the other material to keep her running such as screws, bolts, ropes, and canvas. But the wood had to come from somewhere and that somewhere was 100 acres of naturally grown British forest oak. Over 5000 hand selected mature trees. There were three different variants that were sought after. These three allowed for the easy manufacturing of much needed pieces for the ship. This wood would sometimes be stored for up to 14 years before use. This …show more content…
As with any ship, she needed a crew. Over 500 men were needed to fully operate everything she had. Some of the mock up of the ship included 70 skilled Petty Officers, 212 experienced seamen, 193 regular seamen, and 81 landmen. Royal Marines serving as the fighting force were also onboard and totaled 11 Officers and 135 Privates. Age range for crew mates could go from 12 to 67, with 40% of those men being under the age of 24.
Crew was easy to find certain time because the ship was government funded. Pay was the same as a merchant yet the work was a lot easier. Not to mention food, water and of course shelter was a guarantee. Sadly the work was also dangerous. Cannon balls and drowning were the well known ways of dying. Ship accidents, wrecks and disease accounted for 90% of the 92,000 fatalities during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
In order to make sure the ship was a well oiled machine, the captain and nine other officers were in charge of the 500+ men onboard. Along with being responsible for the men's duties, they were also in charge is correcting wrong